A New Beginning
by Mizukey
Summary: The Grangers adopt Harry when he is four and raise him as a brother to Hermione. They will later attend school together, but Hogwarts may not be it... AU no pairings at the moment. disclaimer not mine.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hey, this is the first story that I have actually posted, so I hope you enjoy it. This is a story is AU and may have Harry slightly OOC, but you have to remember that Harry was never influenced by the Dursleys **

Here it was, Halloween night, and witches and wizards around the world were celebrating, Why, you ask? Well, I shall tell you. The whole story revolves around a little baby boy, Harry James Potter.

Lord Voldamort, or he-who-must-not-be-named, was gone. No one knew where, but at that moment they could all care less. Dumbledore and McGonagall were at the Dursley residence, with Hagrid, dropping off baby Harry where he was supposed to spent the next eleven years of his life.

The next morning when the Dursleys awoke, they found a baby on their doorstep. A woman's scream could be heard from miles around, "Get rid of him Vernon, get rid of him."

So Vernon, not wanting to upset his wife anymore, swiftly picked up the baby, threw him into the car, and drove off to find the nearest orphanage.

It was a place called St. Lawrence. Vernon walked in and without a word set the baby on the floor and left. The owner of the orphanage, a kindly woman named Miss Stevens, woke up to the screams of a child. She sighed, another long day was about to begin. When she exited her room, she realized that the screams weren't coming from the children's rooms, but the main hall. So many thoughts rushed through her head, had a child escaped during the night and had gotten hurt, would she be fired. When she rounded the corner to the entrance hall she saw a baby carrier sitting at its center. She picked up the carrier and looked at the baby lying inside. The first thing she noticed was the baby's eyes. They were a bright vibrant shade of emerald now that he had stopped crying. The baby boy had jet black hair and a bid smile. Attached to his jumper was a note. She pulled it off and read it. It was vary simple, only saying, "His name is Harry James Potter". She sighed. This was not unusual, but parents generally waited until later in the day to drop off their unwanted children. There was nothing else left to do with the child except find him a crib that he could call home.

The next few years passed by quickly for Harry. At two and a half he got to move to the boys' room for children two and a half to seven years old. He was generally a quiet child and preferred to play by himself rather than with the other children. There were about 50 children in his room, so none of them got very much attention from the extremely short-handed staff. It didn't bother Harry much, but like all the other children he longed to be adopted by a loving family.

Hermione's P.O.V.

Hermione was so excited. Her parents were about to adopt a child and Hermione would soon have a brother or sister. They had prepared a room for the child and they were about to go to the orphanage and decide which child to adopt. They drove to the orphanage and went inside. The first thing Hermione noticed upon entering the orphanage was how dreary it looked. There was no color on the walls, and the stone tile entry way was quiet depressing. Her parents were greeted by a middle aged woman who introduced herself as Miss Stevenson. She invited them to look around and informed them that it was play time for the children. She directed them down the hall saying that the boys' room was on the left and the girls' room on the right. She left them to attend to something and the Granger's decided to visit the boys' room first.

When Hermione entered, she saw a large group of boys running around, but one caught her eye. There was a little boy who looked to be about four or five years old sitting in a corner by himself. He had a messy mop of black hair on his head and large emerald green eyes. He was reading, or at least looking at, a book. She informed her parents that she was going ot go talk to him. They let her and went to talk to some of the others. She slid up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around to face her, startled.

"Hello, my name is Hermione, what's yours?"

"I'm Harry, nice to meet you," said the little boy.

"What book are you reading?" asked Hermione. She loved to read, even though she had just learned how, and hoped that this little boy did to.

"Oh, I can read, but I like to look at the pictures. Sometimes one of the older boys will read to me."

"Well, maybe I could try and read it to you," said Hermione. She flipped to the front cover of the book. "The Little Engine that Could," Hermione continued reading the book to him, stumbling on very few of the words. After she was done reading, they continued talking about anything and everything that came to mind.

Eventually Hermione's parents came to find her. They also talked to Harry and had a nice conversation. Eventually her parents informed her that it was time to go. Hermione reluctantly said good-bye and left with her parents after promising to eventually return.

After a while they had to go and they returned to the entrance hall. Hermione paused a moment to gather her thoughts and when she was sure of herself she spoke, "Mom, Dad," Hermione said nervously, "I think we should adopt Harry. I really like him and he wants to learn to read early, just like me."

"Don't you want to go visit the girl's room first?" her mother asked.

"I'm sure I want Harry to be my new brother,"

"Okay, if you're sure," her father said after a moment of debate with her mother.

'Yes, we get to adopt Harry,' thought Hermione.

"Why don't you go talk to Harry while we fill out some paperwork?" her mother asked.

"Ok, I'll see you when you're done, thanks," Hermione called to her parents as she trotted down the hall to Harry's room. When she got there it took a moment of searching, but she finally spotted Harry near the bookshelf on one side of the room.

"Harry!" she called to him. He turned around, startled at seeing her again so soon, and waved to her.

"Hello, are you back again, already?"

"Yep, and I've got some great news Harry. Guess what?" Hermione was nearly bursting with excitement.

"I don't know, what?"

"WE GET TO ADOPT YOU!" Hermione screamed.

"Really? Do you mean it?" Harry asked unbelievingly.

"Yes! My, soon to be yours, parents are filing out the paperwork right now!"

They continued to talk about how their new lives would be. Hermione told Harry about their house and yard. Harry asked Hermione if they had lots of books he could read and she said of course. Eventually Hermione's, and now Harry's, parents returned and told them that everything was now finalized.

Hermione and Harry hugged each other and went over to Harry's bunk together to gather his stuff. He didn't have much; all of his possessions fit into a backpack. With a last goodbye to Miss Stevenson, they were off and Harry had a new family.

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(In the Car)

"Harry dear," Ellen, Hermione's mother said, "how much clothing do you have?"

"Three outfits, Mrs. Granger," replied Harry.

"Please Harry, call me Mom and my husband Dad, or at least call us Ellen and Fred. Mrs. Granger makes me feel old. Do you feel up to do some shopping right now, or would you rather wait?"

"Now is fine, m-m-o-o-m," he stumbled over the last word, having never used it before. "I've never been shopping before. Where are you going?"

"I was thinking we would go to the clothing sore and buy you some new clothes and then maybe go to a toy store,"

"Um… can we go to the bookstore instead?" Harry cringed and waited to be reprimanded for being ungrateful.

"Sure, if you would rather go there than the toy store," Fred replied.

Harry, shocked that they had accepted his request, could only mutter "Thanks D-dad," once again tripping over the unfamiliar word.

"Yeah! The bookstore!" Hermione squealed. She loved the place and couldn't wait to show Harry around. "Daddy, can we teach Harry to read like you taught me?"

"If he wants to. How about it son, would you like to learn to read?" the Grangers were big on books and knowledge. If Harry was too, then he would fit right in.

"Oh, yes! I've always wanted to learn how to read so I could read more books. The older boys didn't always have time to read to me,"

Just then they pulled up in front of the clothing store and Harry quickly got out of the car and stood near Hermione. She lead the way into the store, followed by Harry and their parents. They quickly found the little boys section, and bought him a few pairs of pants, some shorts since it was summertime, and a good size stack of tee shirts.

Harry tried to protest, saying that he didn't need that many clothes. The Grangers insisted that he did. They told him that all little bots should have at least seven sets of clothes, usually more. All in all, Harry ended up with about 10 new outfits, 2 new pairs of shoes, and all the other clothing essentials. His new parents told him that they had already picked up a few other things, like furniture, for is room at the house. The next stop was the bookstore.

As they pulled up in front of the bookstore, Harry's heart started to beat a little faster. So much excitement today and now he was getting to go to the bookstore for the first time. Since it was Hermione's favorite place, she didn't hesitant to jump out of the car and head towards the doors of the store. By the time Harry finally got to the door, Hermione was already inside waiting for him. He opened the door and took in the sights and sounds. The first thing he noticed was the smell, new paper and ink, combined with a hint to coffee. The sights were next, row upon row of books, as far as the eye could see, at least from his position. Lastly he noticed the sounds: the quiet russling of pages, whispered voices, and someone drinking a cup of coffee.

Someone grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the back of the store. He turned to the person holding his hand and discovered that it was none other than Hermione. Apparently, she was tired of waiting on him. She showed him the children's section and pointed out a few of her favorites. Ellen told Harry that he could pick out 10 books to take home. Eventually Hermione helped him pick out several and persuaded her parents to buy an educational computer game that came with an encyclopedia to use on the computer. They paid for their purchases and headed towards the place that Harry would call home for the next several years.

**A/N Yeah! please read and review! I am going to start work on the next chapter, but there won't be any new posts for over a week since I am leaving for camp. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two- A New Beginning **

**A/N I'm back! I snuck on the internet at camp for 10 minutes so that I could post this. Hope you all enjoy this chapter and R and R again as well as you did last time! If you see any grammar errors please point them out to me and I will try to fix them, I know my grammar isn't the best. Enjoy! **

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. When they pulled in to the driveway of a house, he was expecting to see a nice, single story house just big enough for the little family. What he saw instead was a huge two story house with a large yard, plenty of room to run around and play. Fred, who was driving the little red car the family was driving in, pulled in to the attached garage, got out of the car and opened the door for a wide-eyed Harry. Harry climbed out still in shock. Hermione came over and grabbed his hand, pulling him gently towards the house. Harry followed without protest, still taking in all the wonders around him. Hermione continued to pull as they entered the house, she gave him a brief tour of the downstairs, including the family room, the office where her parents kept all the important papers and things, the kitchen, and he dining room. There was also a small entry room, but Hermione didn't bother to show it to Harry since they rarely used it. Then it was up the stairs before Harry even realized what was going on.

"And this," Hermione said, reaching the top of the stairs, "is your room." Harry was amazed at what he saw. The room was painted a bright, sunny shade of yellow. In the upper right hand corner of the room was a twin size bed with a brightly colored comforter just the right size for the little boy. In the upper left Harry saw a small dresser and a comfortable chair just the right size for him. The lower left held a closet and a bright rug covering part of the beige carpeting that was throughout the upstairs. On the right-hand wall there was another set of doors.

"Hey, Hermione, what are those doors for?" asked Harry.

"Hold on a second; I'll show you," exclaimed Hermione, quickly exiting the room. Harry didn't have to wait more than a few seconds until the doors rattled slightly and Hermione threw them open, reviling another bedroom. "This is my room." It was arranged much the same as Harry's own, except the main color was purple; purple walls, bedspread, and rug. Harry though the color looked good, but preferred his own bright colors. "This way we can always talk and play together," said Hermione, more excited than ever. "We aren't done with the tour yet, so come on!" Hermione once again grabbed his hand, pulling him back out into the hallway.

Across from their rooms was another door, and Harry would soon find out, a very exciting room to a little boy who loved to read. "This is," Hermione opened the door, "the library." Harry was amazed that you could actually have a library in your house. Hermione showed him the self that housed the books that they could read. The rest of the room was filled with adult books, but he knew that he would be able to read them eventually. The room also had two large work desks that each housed a computer. "The right one is mine, but you get the one on the left," said Hermione. It was clear that she used the desk often because of all the construction paper and other craft supplies scatter over the top of the desk. Harry walked over to his own desk and sat at it. It made him feel important, a feeling that was new to the young boy. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, Mom and Dad's room is down stairs with their bathroom. Our bathroom is up here next to the library. And that's pretty much our entire house." Just then the children's dad entered. "I came to bring up your new books Harry. Is it ok if I just put them over here next to Hermione's?" he asked, motioning to Hermione's shelf.

"That's fine, Dad," said Harry, surprised who naturally calling them mom and dad came.

"Hey Harry, I have a very important question to ask you, well two things actually. There is the question of your last name. Do you want to keep your last name as Potter or do you want to change it to Granger?"

Harry thought about it a moment; he knew that it was a very important decision. He didn't really have any attachment to his current last name. He hadn't known his parents or any of his relatives, and changing his name to Granger would make him feel more like a part of the family. "I think that I want to change my name to Granger," replied Harry, no hesitation in his voice.

"Alright, now that that issue is resolved, there is also the issue of your birthday. Do you know when you were really born?"

"No, we celebrated all the birthdays at the orphanage on the twenty-fifth of June, because most of us didn't know when our real birthdays were."

"Ok, when do you think we should celebrate it? I was thinking today, the day you became a part of our family.

Harry grinned. "Sure, that's fine with me, I think I was born during the summer anyway." So the day of June 4th officially became Harry's birthday.

That night as Harry lay in his new bed he thought about the day. In just a single day his life had been turned upside down. Less than one day ago he had been a little orphan boy with no one to really care for him. Now he had parents, a little (Harry chuckled at this because Hermione was taller than him) sister, and a wonderful house to live in. He couldn't be happier, or at least he thought.

**A/N Alright, I'm done with another chapter. Just so you guys know, the plan for the story is this: the next several chapters will almost be like one-shots. They will highlight different important moments in their childhoods'. Then the story will switch over to their magical schooling career where it will be more like a story. They will probably not be going to Hogwarts and I am going to change the magical schooling system a bit, as in you don't have to go to a school just because it is close to you and there is something special for muggleborns. So, any suggestions about life moments that you think I should highlight are welcome. I only have a few right now (Harry's first birthday at the Granger's, the first day of school, and moving from elementary school to middle school), so I need a few more! Thanks for the help and don't forget to review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A New Beginning chapter 3 **

**A/N I'm back with a new chapter! Hope you enjoy. Don't forget to R&R! Oh yes, as one of my reviewers pointed out, I seem to have used very advanced technology for their time, so just to clear things up, all technology that is present in our time is present in theirs. Just pretend they are growing up in 2007. **

**Several Days Later**

Today was Saturday and Harry had been living with the Granger's since Monday. He loved his new life here and couldn't ask for anything more. He got out of bed and when strait to Hermione's room, some thing he had done every morning since he had arrived at the Granger's. She was already awake, but still laying in her bed. When she saw Harry she got out of bed and the two of them went downstairs to eat breakfast. Since Ellen was off that morning she had cooked them a hot breakfast of pancakes and bacon. It was Harry's first time having bacon and he rather enjoyed its unique flavor. As Harry was eating, he noticed some thing a little funny about Ellen. She seemed to be extra happy and had an extra twinkle in her eye every time she looked at Harry.

"Kids, we have a little surprise for Harry today, so you need to play up in your rooms and the library this morning until we tell you to come down, ok?" Ellen asked, unable to contain her excitement any longer. The children agreed, slightly confused. After they were done with their breakfast, they headed upstairs to occupy them selves. They decided that first they would need to get dressed. Harry When into his room and opened the dresser drawer and realized that he didn't know what to wear because Ellen had picked out his clothes every day. So he did what any other four-year-old would do. "Hermione!! I need help," he told her through the door they shared. Hermione sighed. She was already dressed in a cute little purple skirt that went to her knees. Her shirt had a sparkly purple butterfly on a white background. She finished brushing out her mid-back length brown bushy hair.

"Alright, I'm coming." When she entered the room and walked strait over to Harry's dresser and began to rummage through it. When she stopped she had a pair of black dress pants and an emerald green button up shirt. Put these on, I think we need to dress up for whatever your surprise is today. Harry consented and Hermione left the room while he got dressed. When he was done they retreated to the library, their favorite hang out spot. Harry grabbed a book to practice his reading skills that he had already learned. He could read simple words and he knew most of the alphabet. He still had to ask for help sometimes, but he was getting better everyday. Hermione went over and got on her computer to play the game she had gotten the other day. They sat this way for about an hour, Harry getting up every now and then to ask Hermione a question about a word. Most of the time she knew them, but sometimes they both worked to give it their best shot.

By then Hermione was bored and heeded something else to do, so she decided to spy on her parents. She peeked around the corner of the door and looked down the stairs. She saw her mother walk by with a package of balloons and some string. She motioned to Harry to let him know that she was going to try to sneak down. He nodded to her and went back to reading his book. She got halfway down before she got caught by her father. She was sent back up the stairs and that was the end of her spying days, at least for today.

Some how the children kept busy until one o'clock in the afternoon. At 11 o'clock, their mother had brought up some lunch which they happily enjoyed. Right at one o'clock, Hermione was called down the stairs. Her mother came over and explained to her what was going on. Her eyes lit up and she smiled. Then Fred called Harry down. He quietly came down the stairs and rounded the corner to the living room. Before him was a large group of people numbering around 10.

"Surprise!" they yelled as Harry's eyes grew to the size of small baseballs. "Happy Birthday!" they then shouted. Oh, now he got it. They were throwing him a birthday party for his new birthday. At the orphanage, they had a mass birthday party every year on July 1st every year. But to have his own? It was amazing after everything they had already done for him.

Behind all the people, Harry saw a large pile of presents and next to his mother he saw a cake that read, 'Happy Birthday Harry!' in large orange letters. Ellen finally stepped forward to introduce Harry to everyone. "Harry these people are your family now. Over there we have Fred's mom and dad, your Grandma and Grandpa Granger," the older couple smiled a warm smile at him. He smiled back; they looked like nice people. "And then my mom and dad, your Grandma and Grandpa Friz," they also looked kind and friendly, although a little on the short side. "Then we have your Aunt Joyce and her adopted daughter Sarah," the lady looked a lot like Fred, so Harry assumed they were siblings. Harry thought that Sarah, who looked to be about five or six, looked familiar, but he couldn't figure out why. Maybe later he would remember. "And lastly we have your Aunt Annie and Uncle Terry with their two children Tyler and Renna." The two children looked to be about three years old and were twins. Though they were boy and girl, they look a lot alike. So much in fact that it was hard to tell them apart. Harry went slowly around the room and greeted everyone individually. He really liked his new family. Sarah and him had a nice chat and discovered that they had been at the same orphanage for a awhile and that was where Harry recognized her from. The twins were cute but didn't talk much. They seemed to have their own language that only they understood.

After a while, Harry opened his presents. He received several new books, a new computer games, some clothes, a few toys, and a child sized telescope. He had never received more than one gift for his birthday, so he was thrilled.

After the presents, Harry thanked everyone and they moved on t cake and ice cream that his mother produced from the freezer for everyone. They laughed and ate until about seven o'clock in the evening when everyone said their goodbyes and left. Hermione helped Harry take al of his new things up to his room. After that was done, he change into pajamas and promptly went to bed. It had been a very long and exhausting day.

**A/N Alright, my longest chapter ever done. Keep the ideas coming about ideas for life events that you think should be featured. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. It's not that had just scroll down and click the little button. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A New Beginning chapter 4 **

**A/N I'm back! Thanks so much to everyone that reviewed this story, it really means a lot to me. Also for any one that reads this and puts it on their alert list. So, now that that is over with, on to the story!**

Harry woke up at 7:00 a.m. and knew that it was a special day, but he couldn't remember why. Then it struck him; it was the first day of school. Today was his first day at Bushberry Infants School. He was going to be a Middle even though he hadn't gone to Reception because it technically wasn't required. He might be slightly behind some of the other students, but he could easily catch up. He glanced at the digital clock near his bed. It read 6:00 am. He sighed. His parents wouldn't expect him up until at least 7. As he was waiting, he thought about the summer. He had gone to the zoo with his family at the end of July. He had been fascinated by all the animals, but he really related to the snakes. Not because he was evil, as evil is generally associated with snakes, but because he had discovered that he could talk to them. He remembered all the conversations that he had with the snakes that day. They turned out to be very interesting. So interesting in fact that he mostly listened, not having the will to talk. He chuckled at some of their comments.

Before Harry knew it, 7:00 arrived and he climbed out of bed. As always, his first stop was Hermione's room. She was already awake; just as excited about the first day of school as Harry was. They both clamored down the stairs and saw their mother cooking breakfast in the kitchen. Harry smelled the air. It was the now familiar sent of pancakes and warm maple syrup, his favorite. The siblings sat at the table and ate their breakfast on near silence. They were both nervous about the day ahead.

Finally the time came when they were done with breakfast. They two then scurried up the stairs to get ready. Hermione had already helped Harry pick something out the night before, he still needed al little help in that department from his sister. He pulled on the pair of black dress pants and a polo shirt that was a bright lime green. He grabbed a pair of black socks from his dresser and headed to the bathroom where he brushed hi teeth and at least tried to comb is unruly hair. His mother came up after awhile with the spray bottle to help.

By this time, Hermione had finished getting dressed and was also now in the bathroom. She sported a navy blue pleated skirt that fell to just above her knees and a green tee-shirt with a flower on it. She was now trying to brush out her bushy hair that she had refused to cut in almost two years. It was now mid-back length and was harder to brush than ever, but Hermione didn't mind. With the help of her mother, who had now finished on Harry and pronounced him 'as good as it was going to get', they went to work and eventually got her hair in a neat bun on the back of her head. For extra measure, her mother stuck three small butterfly clips on the back of her head around the knot to hold it in place. They were finally ready to go. All that was left to do was grab their book bags and head out the door.

It was a 20 minute drive to the school, just enough time for the two to get even more nervous. Finally they pulled up in front of the school. They hopped out of the car and their mother held their hands. She walked Harry and Hermione to their classroom, they were in the same class, and took off, promising to be back around 3:30 when school got out. The two found seats next to each other on the rug where they were instructed to sit and waited.

Finally it was time for class to begin. The teacher started by introducing herself as Mrs. Mayberry and told them that the first thing they would be doing was getting their seats. She was a younger looking teacher and had a large smile on her face. She looked and sounded very nice to the two 5 year olds. It turned out that she had placed the students in alphabetical order. So Harry sat just in front of Hermione. They were happy that they got to sit near each other. Next the students put away all their supplies in the desks, then it was time for a game. Mrs. Mayberry had them play a game where they got to know each others names. Several people asked Harry and Hermione if they were twins. They explained, though a little shy at first, that they weren't and that Harry was adopted. They got along with everyone nicely and had a great time. Finally the teacher called to them to sit down for their first lesson over the ABC's. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other, this was going to be so easy. They had both known all their letters for at least 2 months now. When ever the teacher asked a question, they were always the first hands up, almost always getting the answer right. The same thing had happened in the math lesson that they had after recess. Finally the teacher decided that the last thing they were going to have was a writing lesson, which Harry and Hermione both needed a little work on, but were still ahead of the other students. The teacher then announced that it was the end of the day and time to go home, and that tomorrow they were going to have their first history lesson. Harry was excited, he had never learned about history before.

The two children when outside to find their mother waiting for them in the car. They told her about the day and about how easy it was. She just laughed and told them it would get harder, but Harry and Hermione had a hard time believing it.

**A/N Ok, another chapter done. The school system used is the British one from an essay on Harry Potter Lexicon. The grade he enrolled in was equivalent to the American Kindergarten and he didn't go to preschool. If you have any other questions, let me know. Don't forget to review, they inspire me! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A New Beginning chapter 5- **

2 years Later-

It was the beginning of July and Harry and Hermione had just graduated from their Infants schools and would soon be moving up to the Junior School next door, or so they thought. On the last day of school the teacher had sent a note home with Hermione requesting a parent-teacher conference about both of the children. They were baffled; they loved school and had nothing wrong, parent conferences were only for bad kids. Their parents had agreed and the conference was set for this afternoon. Hermione was nervous; she didn't like getting in trouble, so she hoped that wasn't the reason. The teacher had also requested that Harry and Hermione come to the conference, which was unusual.

It was about 12 o'clock and the conference was scheduled for 2, so it was about time for them to get dressed and get ready to go. They both wore nice outfits, Harry a nice pair of pants and a button-up shirt and Hermione a knee-length pleated skirt that was navy-blue and a bright blue button-up shirt with small flowers on it. Harry would never understand Hermione's obsession with dressing up; she almost always wore skirts, even to school, and was rarely seen in a big comfy shirt, it was always dress shirts. But then again, Harry could almost care less about what he wore. He still had to ask Hermione's advice sometimes, but that was ok.

Harry's hair was messy as ever, but he kept it short enough that it wasn't so bad. Hermione had continued growing out her hair and it now reached down her back to the top of her thigh. Her mother helped he style it every morning so that it wouldn't get in her way during the school day. Today in preparation for the meeting they pulled the front back and held it in place with a barrette, the rest just down. Finally it was time to leave and the family, both parents, Harry, and Hermione, got into the car and headed for the school.

They arrived at the school a little while later and headed to Harry and Hermione's classroom. The teacher was already there and waiting on them. "Please, come and sit down," the teacher said, motioning to a table with 5 chairs set around it. They did so, Harry and Hermione sitting next to each other and then their mom and dad. The teacher spoke again, "Now, I've called you here today to talk about Harry and Hermione's school abilities."

_Well, that doesn't sound so bad, and it defiantly doesn't sound like we're in trouble, _thought Hermione.

"I think that your children aren't challenged nearly as much as they could be. They both earn excellent grades without even trying, and they seem to enjoy school more than most children. So I have a proposal to make." She ruffled through some papers and pulled out a brochure. Ellen looked at her children, realizing that what the teacher said was true.

"This is a brochure for Maple Grove Junior Academy. It is a school just for children like yours. They have more options for classes and they will be with students that are mentally gifted like them, providing a more challenging school experience. It is located in a small town about an hour away from here."

"Alright," Ellen said, "what about transportation? It's kind of far to take them everyday."

"The school is what we call a semi-boarding school. They would live there Sunday night through Friday afternoon. You would then pick them up and take them home for the weekend," the teacher replied.

Harry and Hermione were looking at the brochure she had passed to them; it looked to good to be true. They saw pictures of a large library, cozy bedrooms, a magnificent eating hall, and big, modern classrooms, among other things. "I don't know," they heard their mother say, "aren't they a little young to be living on there own in a dorm room?"

"They wouldn't be," replied the teacher. "Maple Grove Junior Academy shares dorms with its other school, Maple Grove Secondary Academy, for older students. Several of those students volunteer to share a room with a younger student and make sure that they are ready when they need to be and to help them."

"Ok, that makes sense, but what about cost?" said Harry and Hermione's father.

"Yes, I was coming to that. The tuition is very reasonably priced because they get a lot of money from big businesses whose CEO's used to go to the school in their younger days, even with two children, it won't be any more than the tuition of one child at a regular boarding school."

"Then why don't more people sent their children there? Surely there must be other bright children," their mother piped in.

"Not that can get in to this school. This school is the equivalent of a junior grammar school. In fact, the Secondary Academy is considered one of the top grammar schools in the country." Fred and Ellen were stunned; they knew their kids were smart, but good enough to get into a grammar school. "And your children have already been accepted. So, what do you do you say?"

"I think that we need to go home and talk about it as a family," Fred said, Ellen nodding.

"Alright, here's a packet of information that you will need if they decide to go," said the teacher, handing a rather large packet to Hermione. "And you can keep the brochure. Best of luck to you Hermione, Harry," she said, nodding to each of the children in turn. They talked a few minutes longer about other things, and then finally headed home.

------------------

When they got home, Harry and Hermione retreated to the library to talk over the events of the last two hours. Hermione glance through the information packet, reading out anything that was of interest. "It says here that we would have six classes that meet everyday; math, English, science, history, an art elective, and a language. For the art elective you can choose band, choir, drawing/painting, 3-D art, or drama and for the language you can take German, French, Spanish, or Japanese."

She glanced through a few more paragraphs. "It also says that you must participate in at least one after school activity, but you can choose two. Let's see….. You can do horseback riding, chess, gymnastics, basketball, international club, football (that would be what we call soccer in America), and softball/baseball." She paused for another minute, "it talks about the house arrangements, but nothing we didn't already know."

Another pause and then, "Oohh, we have to wear uniforms. Look, here's a picture." Harry looked at the picture that Hermione was pointing at and decided that the uniforms weren't so bad. The boys insisted of a red polo shirt and navy blue pants with a navy blue blazer and navy blue dress shoes. The girls had a red plaid skirt that came just below the knees with a white polo and a navy blue blazer. They wore long socks coming to the knees and navy blue dress shoes in their feet. Both blazers had the school emblem, a maple tree over the left breast.

"That's not so bad," Harry commented. "Anything else interesting?"

"Hmmm…. Let me look…. Nope, looks like that's about it. All the rest is about what we need to buy, where to go to get to the school, and tuition information. What do you think Harry? Should we go?"

"I don't know. It would be a lot of fun and we would learn a lot, but we wouldn't get to see Mom and Dad everyday, just on the weekends, and we would be living apart," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Well, it is defiantly a really great opportunity, but there is the Mom and Dad factor…. I still think that we should go. We'll get used to it before too long and we still get to see Mom and Dad every weekend, unlike a real boarding school."

"Ok, I agree with you. Let's tell Mom and Dad that we want to go tonight at dinner if they don't ask us first."

"Alright, that's fine with me."

Dinner time-

Around 7 o'clock Ellen called her children down to dinner, which was spaghetti tonight. They had been up in the library all day discussing something. They came down quickly when they were called, smiles in their faces. Fred came in from the garage since he had just gotten home from work. They all sat down at the table and began eating.

About half-way through the meal, Harry spoke. "Hermione and I have been thinking Mom and Dad."

"Yeah," Hermione chipped in, "and we've come to a decision."

"We want to go to Maple Grove." Before their parents had time to say anything Hermione launched into the reasoning.

"We'll get a very good education there and we will still be able to see you every weekend and on holidays. There are lots of opportunities for us at this school, like learning a second language and being around other kids who love learning as much as we do. Please will you let us go, Mom, Dad?"

"Yeah, please?" Harry chimed in for good measure. Their parents stared at each other, as if communicating telepathically. Finally Fred nodded.

"Alright," he said. "We'll try it for a year. If it doesn't work than you will go back to your old school. You must keep up your grades and such for this to continue."

Both children got out of their chairs and ran to hug their parents, Hermione to her mother and Harry to his father, then switching, squealing 'thank-you thank-you' the whole time. The rest of the night was spent deciding what classes to take and clubs to do. Hermione chose to take Japanese and band playing the clarinet. Harry also chose Japanese and band, but he wanted to play the saxophone. They decided to go into town the next weekend to buy everything they would need. Everyone went to bed happy that night.

**A/N- alright longest chapter ever to make up for not updating in a while, I've been kind of busy. Chapter updates will be slowing down to once a week because my summer just got busier. Also, my birthday is tomorrow (Thursday), so I'll be busy and nit have time to write the next few days probably. Please review this chapter with comments. See you next week. Mizukey**


	6. Chapter 6

**A New Beginning chapter 6-**

**A/N- Thank you all for the reviews I've been getting; I really appreciate it! Over 50 reviews in 5 chapters; it amazing, so free brownies for everyone! –passes them around- **

**Now, a new chapter. This one is a little different and incorporates Harry's mischievous side a little more. Enjoy!**

-3 days later-

"Kids, were leaving in 5 minutes, I want you down here if we're going to make our train!" Ellen shouted up the stairs to her children.

-Hermione's room-

"Coming!" yelled Hermione, shutting her suitcase and flying down the stairs.

-Harry's room-

Harry's eyes widened as he looked at his half-packed suitcase laying in the floor. About half an hour ago, he had grabbed a book to put in his suitcase for the three day trip to London to buy school supplies that they needed for Maple Grove. He decided that he would just look at the book for five minutes then continue packing. Unfortunately, that hadn't happened and now he had to leave in 5 minutes. He threw the book into the suitcase and grabbed the closest clothing that he could find, hoping that he would have something to ware when he got there.

From his desk he grabbed a notebook and a mechanical pencil, thinking he might start to work on his book report that Maple Grove said he would need to have ready for the first day. It was simple, just to gauge your reading and writing level. He had chosen to read Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Hadix and it was a very interesting read.

He also grabbed a small knapsack that he could carry with him around the town and his allowance money that he had been saving for a special occasion.

With that he hoped he was ready and flew down the stairs and into the car.

-20 minutes later at the train station-

"Sarah!" Hermione cried, running up to hug her cousin. Sarah and her mother were going on the trip with them just so they could get out of the house for a little while and see the big city. It was both Sarah and Harry's first time to London and Hermione had only been once when she turned four for her birthday.

"Hey Hermione, Harry" greeted Sarah. "Aren't you excited to be going to London? I know I sure am. It's got to be huge!"

"I know," commented Harry, "and we get to ride on the train!"

They all talked and caught up with each other about their lives for a few minutes till a voice from above informed them that they needed to board their train because it would be leaving soon.

They boarded the train and found two empty compartments right next to each other, one for the kids and one for the adults. The trip would take five hours with them arriving in London at five o'clock. They got settled and the train began to roll. Sarah and Harry started to talk about fashion and other girly things, so Harry pulled out his book and his notebook and began reading. The trolley came around about three and each of the children were allowed to pick a sweet to hold them over until dinner time. Hermione choose liquorish, Harry a bar of chocolate, and Sarah some gummy words. The little group continued to talk and read until the train arrived at the London station. They got off the train and when out to the front of the station where they got in a cab to take them to their hotel. The plan for tonight was to put their things in the hotel, then go to a nice restaurant for dinner, then to bed so they could be up bright and early the next day to go shopping.

-The Next Morning after Breakfast-

It was time to start shopping. The first stop was uniforms since they would take time to tailor. Since it wasn't to far from the place where they had eaten breakfast, they decided to walk.

"Hey Hermione, Sarah, look at that bar," Harry said, pointing up at a sign that read The Leaky Cauldron.

"Yeah, what about it?" asked Hermione.

"I don't know, it just feels special," said Harry. By this time, the three children had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and her staring at the little bar.

"I know what you mean," commented Sarah.

The parents had been walking along in front of the children and realized that they were missing. They turned around to see them looking at what appeared to be the space between two shops.

"There's nothing there children," Ellen said, intently staring at the space.

"Yes there is," all three of the children said.

"No, there isn't, end of story," said Fred, pulling the children along. "We need to get some shopping done, so lets get going."

-Later that night right before bed-

"Guys," Hermione said as they were putting on there pajamas, "I can't stop thinking about that bar we passed today."  
"Yeah, me neither," said both Harry and Sarah at the same time.

"I know," said Harry after a moment of thinking. "Why don't we sneak out of here and go have another look for ourselves," he said, a mischievous grin on his face.

"I don't know…" said Hermione, worried about the trouble they might get into.

"I think we should do it!" said Sarah.

"Oh, alright," Hermione gave in. "Let's do it, but we'll need a plan."

"Alright," said Harry, thinking out loud, "let's wait until our parents are asleep. Then we can climb out the window and onto the ground. From there we just need to get there. Do you remember the way Sarah?" he asked. Sarah was good with directions.

"Yep, got that covered."

"Alright, that should be everything. You two can get some sleep if you want, I'll wake you when it's time."

"Ok," they two girls said, crawling into bed.

-2 hours later-

"Hermione, wake up," said Harry, shaking her shoulder. Sarah was already up and yawning from the little bit of sleep that she had gotten. They all got dressed and climbed out the window, no problems. After just a few minutes, they were once again in front of the bar that they had seen earlier in the day.

Standing outside, they were all getting a little nervous. They all latched hands, Harry in the middle of the two girls, and confidently walked into the bar and up to the counter.

"Hello, my name is Tom. How can I help you youngns' tonight?" asked the man behind the counter.

"Umm..," spoke up Harry, "what is this place?"

"Why, this is the Leaky Cauldron, the only place to enter Diagon Ally, the only magical shopping district in Britain, from the outside world. Would you like to go there"

"Yes please sir," piped up Hermione, anxious to see what this Diagon Ally was.

"Alright, follow me then," he said, motioning toward the back. The trio followed him, but were confused when they came to a brick wall. The man didn't seem worried though. He pulled a wooden stick out of his hand and tapped on a few select bricks. All the bricks started to shake and Sarah wondered if maybe it was an earthquake. After only a few seconds though, the bricks began to move aside to reveal the most aw-inspiring sight that any of them had ever seen. "Welcome to Diagon Ally," said Tom.

**A/N- Alright, sort of cliffhanger. I will try to update again soon. Some of you may have noticed that in the last chapter the school they are going to attend has two names after a mistake on my part. The real name is Maple Grove and I will possibly be going back and changing all the names to that in the last chapter if I have time. Please read and review! Mizukey**


	7. Chapter 7

**A New Beginning chapter 7-**

**A/N- Sorry this chapter took so long, my life is just catching up with me and I've had a slight case of writer's block. Most of the other chapters have just written themselves, but this one has required several drafts and reworkings. Also, school will soon be starting up, meaning I will have less time to write. I will now only be updating about once every two weeks to a month instead of once a week. Now, with that out of the way, enjoy this new chapter. **

As the bricks moved to either side, an unseen world opened up before Harry, Hermione, and Sarah. Shops lined either side of the narrow road, though one clearly stood out more than the rest. It was a large white marble building hosting a sign that read Gringotts Wizarding Bank. _Why does is say wizard? _thought Harry. _Wizards only exist in fairy tales… or do they? I mean, Hermione has done some pretty weird stuff. There was the time that Hermione was getting beaten up by that kid, and the next thing anyone knew, he was flat against the wall in front of her. Or the time that she wanted that book from the book store, but Dad told her that she had already used up her book allowance for the month. She was so mad, and as we were leaving, the book just appeared in our bag. But I haven't done anything; _he thought with a sigh, _I'm just plain boring Harry. _

"Many of the shops will be closing soon," said Tom, "so what ever shopping you have to do, I suggest getting it done quickly." At that point he turned around and went back to his bar to help the few customers that were there.

Hermione immediately spotted where she wanted to go, and dragged the other two along behind her. It was a rather large store called Florish and Blotts, and it looked to be a books store, thought Harry had never seen any books like these. They carried strange titles, like 1001 Magical Herbs and Fungi, A History of Magic, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and several books buy someone named Gilderoy Lockheart. Hermione saw so many things that she wanted to purchase, but just didn't have the money. She dug through her pocket and found just 8 pounds. Hopefully that would be enough for at least one book. She saw one titled A Beginner's Guide to the Magical Basics, an Overview of Magical Study. She picked it up and turned it over, looking for the price, but it was really strange, reading 11 sickles and 4 knuts.

"Hey Harry, Sarah, come look at this," Hermione said, calling over the other two. "Look at the price. Any idea what a sickle or a knut is?" Both of them shook their heads, completely confused. Sarah walked over to a nearby shelf that contained animal books and picked up one, finding the same units of money as the other. One even said it cost 3 galleons, but that wasn't much help either. Harry was looking at another shelf with the same results.

Hermione just decided to go up to the counter and ask. "Excuse me sir, what is a knut, or a sickle?" she asked the man at the counter. He looked older, perhaps in his fifties. He turned to her and chuckled.

"A muggleborn hey? Well let me explain it to you, it's pretty simple." He opened his cash drawer and pulled out three coins, one small bonze, one slightly larger silver, and the last slightly larger still was gold. "This one," he said, holding up the bronze one, "is a knut, the smallest currency. This one," now he was holding the silver one, "is a sickle, and the gold one is a galleon. It's 29 Knuts to a sickle, and 17 sickles to a galleon. Pretty simple right?" he questioned.

"Yes sir, thank-you very much for explaining it to me. Do you know where I could exchange my pounds for some of this money?"

"I could do it right here for you today, but normally you would go to Gringotts, the large white marble building down the street. How much would you like to exchange?"

"Umm…. I only have 8 pounds, how much will that get me?"

"Let's see…" he pondered a moment, concentrating very hard, "I think about 13 sickles."

"Alright," she said, though inside she was grinning because she had enough money to buy her book. She handed over the money, and he handed over several silver coins. The trio continued to look around for a while, and Harry exchanged 20 pounds of his savings , earning him one gold galleon and three sickles. He found a book called Magical History 101 and decided to buy it; history was his favorite subject in school.

They quickly paid for their purchases and exited the store. The next store they saw was called Lugo's Luggage. Harry wanted to go in and look around so the girls followed him. The inside of the shop was small, but it made use of every possible space. Trunks of all shapes and sizes lined the walls and some even floated near the ceiling, more instances of magic at work and Harry was starting to believe in it. The rest of the floor was covered with bags and other things designed to hold various objects. Seeing how expensive the trunks were and thinking about how hard it would be to hid something that big, so he went and looked at the bags while Hermione and Sarah started to read Hermione's new book.

The bags came in many sizes and colors. Many didn't look that big, but they said strange things like 5x capacity and other large sizes. "Hello young sir, how may I help you?" asked a nearby shop keeper.

Harry spun around, surprised by the presence of another person, "I was looking at his bag and was wondering of you could recommend one for me under," he paused a moment and counted his money, "16 sickles?"

"Alright," the shop keeper said, looking around a moment before picking up one of the bags. "I recommend this one. It is 30 times larger than it appears and has a standard set of charms, water repelling, dirt repelling, and a no rip charm. A very nice basic bag for only 15 sickles and 20 knuts, how does that sound."

It took Harry only a moment to decide, "I'll take it!" he exclaimed, very happy with this great find.

"Ok, what color would you like it to be?"

"Ummm… how about green?"

"Alright, one moment please," said the man, changing the bag's color with a wave of his wand. "That will be 15 sickles and 20 knuts."

Harry handed over the money willingly and took his bag. The trio left the shop, continuing down the road. They only had time to stop at one more place before they would need to head home as to not arouse suspicion.

It was Sarah's turn to choose, and she picked a slightly larger store called Eeylops Owl Emporium. When they entered the building, the first thing they noticed was the smell. It smelled strongly of bird, which was no surprise. The inside was lined with cages upon cages of owls, other birds, and a few other animals.

Sarah spotted one of the keepers feeding some of the owls their evening meal. The keeper was a relatively young woman that couldn't have been more than 21 years old. Her hair was a strawberry-blonde and she had big blue eyes. She was on the shorter side; she couldn't have been over five foot; but she had a very commanding presence.

Sarah approached the keeper, very excited at the chance to study the owls, not that many places sold them. Sarah wanted to be a zoologist when she got older, so she wanted to study as many different types of animals as she could before then. This was almost as good as the zoo, which was her favorite place to go because of all the different kinds of exotic animals.

"Excuse me," said Sarah, tapping the keeper on the shoulder. The keeper turned around.

"Hello my name is Christine, how may I help you?" she asked, turning from the owl she had been feeding.

Sarah took a deep breath before responding. "My name is Sarah and I want to be a zoologist when I grow up I want to be a zoologist and I noticed you have owls, so can you tell me much about them and can I old one pretty please?" she said in one big breath.

The keeper laughed and then said, "Sure, I remember what it was like to be a little kid and wanting to know everything about every animal I saw. Let's go look at these…" she said, leading Sarah off down one of the isles, pointing out things and eventually letting her hold a snowy white owl. Harry and Hermione read and waited on Sarah, nit really interested in the animals.

After about 15 minutes, Harry noticed someone was watching them. He glanced over to where younger man, though not as young as the keeper, was standing pretending to be deeply engrossed in one of the owls, while really throwing periodical glances at Harry and Hermione, each glance slightly longer than the first. Harry caught his eyes once and the man's eyes grew as he met Harry's large green ones.

Finally, after about ten minutes of watching the children, the man approached them. Now that he was walking towards them, Harry got a better look at the man. He was dressed in shabby clothing with many holes and his robes were a non-descript shade of brown and looked just as shabby. He looked unkempt, with messy hair and a major 5 o'clock shadow. He even looked just a little scary, except for the gentle smile on his face.

Harry watched the man carefully as he approached the two of them, and tapped Hermione on the leg to alert her of the man's presence. She looked up from her book that she had previously been engrossed in and also stared at the approaching man.

Sarah's POV

As he approached Sarah was finishing talking to the keeper and bad her good-bye, trying to remember everything she had learned so that she could write it down in her notebook later. As she approached her cousins, she saw the shabby looking man, and decided to stay back and see how this played out.

Harry and Hermione's POV

By now, both the children were looking at the man as he approached them. "Hello," he called to them. "My name is Remus Lupin. Are you named Harry Potter by chance?" he asked, directing his question to Harry.

"No, it's Harry Granger now, I'm not Potter anymore, not since I was adopted," Harry replied calmly.

"But did your name used to be Potter?" Remus asked, a sense of urgency laced through his voice.

"Yes, at least that's what they told me at the orphanage."

"Orphanage? You were supposed to be staying with your aunt and uncle, not at some orphanage! I always knew that Dumbledore was a liar! Just wait till I get my hands on him, I've been meaning to buy a new test dummy to try out my new hexes on, but he'll do just fine…"

"Excuse he sir, umm, Mr. Lupin, what are you talking about? Who's Dumbledore, and what are hexes, and… I guess, what is this place?" Harry questioned, hoping to finally get some answers to his many questions about the world be had stumbled onto.

"Well," he said, "first I think I need to be introduced to this other young lady," said Remus, moving toward Hermione, but he was suddenly halted by some invisible force.

"No one get's near my sister without my say-so, got it?" asked Harry, suddenly very irritated and his eyes threatening to kill with just one glace.

Remus backed off quickly, noticing Harry's accidental magic, even if Harry himself didn't. "Why don't we sit down and talk. I know a nice little café that serves ice cream that's right down the street, my treat," he said, hoping Harry would come without a fuss. Yeah right.

"Why should I, Mom says to never talk to strangers or follow them. Give me one good reason that my sister and cousin and I should follow you."

"Cousin? Where's she?" asked Remus.

"Over there, watching us, afraid to come over here."

_How did he know that? _thought Sarah, _I never said that. _

Remus glanced over his shoulder to see a young girl looking at them. "Its ok," you don't have to come over if you want, but I don't bite," he said, _at least not tonight, it the new moon, so I'm good. _"Back to the matter at hand, I believe it was why you should trust me, am I correct?"

"Yes," replied Harry.

"Because I was one of your birth father's best friends at school."

Harry just stood there, mouth agape. "You knew my birth father?"

"Yes and your birth mother."

Harry's curiosity got the better of him. "What were they like?"

"Well, first off, they were a witch and wizard."

"A what? Magic doesn't exist."

"What do you mean, doesn't exist, then why are you here. Surly you must know about magic if you are on the most magical street in all of Britain!!!"

"No," Harry said and recounted there entire journey to Remus, with Hermione adding details every so often and Sarah coming over to join the group. Now it was Remus's turn to stand there, mouth agape. He couldn't believe their story of escape and their journey through Diagon Alley.

The store they were in was closing, so they walked outside and continued there discussion. Remus informed them of all the basics of the magical world. It took some explanation and proving, but finally all the children agreed that magic existed and that they were probably magical themselves. As it turned out, Sarah had done some accidental magic before too, and that was the reason they all could see the Leaky Cauldron. They talked well into the morning, until Hermione pointed out that they needed to be getting back to the hotel room before someone came to check on them. Remus promised to try and keep in contact, and showed them back to their hotel where he snuck them in by apparation. They slept late that morning and when questioned by their paents about why they were so tried, they claimed they couldn't sleep in strange beds and there parents didn't ask anything else. The children and parents finished their shopping and headed home on the train that evening, hoping to hear from Remus soon.

**A/N- Alright, that was a pretty long chapter, hope you all enjoyed it. Once again, sorry about the wait in updating and I hope you don't think I rushed the ending to much. Harry still doesn't know much about his birth parents because they never got around to discussing it. They just know a few simple things about magic and not much else, but they have their first friend in the wizarding world. Hope the next update will be faster. -Mizukey**


	8. Chapter 8

**A New Beginning Chapter 8- **

A/N- Alright, I changed my mind. I was going to have you hear about their years of junior school, but I have now decided to just skip it. I'll clarify anything I need to in flashbacks. If you have any questions let me know in a review and I'll tell you. I hope you don't think Harry and Hermione are Mary-Sue-ish because they can already fluently speak another language, but it is necessary for where I want this story to go.

-3 Years Later-The beginning of August- Party Day-

Harry was standing in his room pulling on a sweater that he would be wearing to his birthday party in just a few hours. He was very excited because many of his relatives that he hadn't seen in a year were going to be there, including Sarah and her mother. Sarah had been discovered as a witch and she told Harry and Hermione all about it. Harry and Hermione's parents just thought that she was going to a boarding school, but Harry and Hermione knew the truth, even if their aunt didn't know they knew. She was currently attending Beauxbatons and she was enjoying it.

They had graduated from Maple Grove Junior Academy at the end of June and had been spending their summer relaxing as they prepared to make the transition to secondary school. Their school years had been fun and they had learned a lot. Both of them could now speak Japanese fairly fluently and they could both play a musical instrument, as well as their other studies in which they were well ahead of a normal student of their year. They had both decided to take horseback riding as one of their activities and had discovered that they loved it and enjoyed riding whenever they could.

They pair had kept in contact with Remus over the three years since they had met him through mail that arrived by owl. It was very odd at first, but they had gotten used to it by now.

As he striated his collar once more, he heard a taping at the window. Glancing over, Harry saw an owl. Figuring it was from Remus, he opened the window after closing his door, his parents still didn't know about Remus.

"Hey, Hermione, come here!" he shouted down the hall. Hermione came over and spotted the owl.

"Is it from Remus?"

"I don't know, I haven't checked yet, but I would assume," Harry replied, going over to the owl and relieving it of its burden and gave it an affectionate pat. It was indeed a letter from Remus. "Yep, let's read it." Hermione took it and read out loud.

_Happy Birthday Harry, and congratulations on this big birthday. As you know, 11 is an important age in the Wizarding world, it is when magical children begin their schooling. I have some news for you, you were recognized as a witch and wizard so a representative from the Wizarding worlds will be there tomorrow to tell your parents and explain what it entails. Please don't let on that I have been in contact with you as you might not wish to be associated with 'my kind'. _Harry nodded, Remus had told them about his condition about a year ago and told them of the laws against werewolves in the Wizarding world. Hermione then continued reading, _I hope you guys have a good birthday and I may be seeing you in the near future…Remus. _She finished.

"Wonder what he means by I may be seeing you in the near future. Any ideas?" asked Harry, thinking over Remus's last line.

"Who knows, Remus is just mysterious like that," stated Hermione, trying to throw it off, but really she was just as curious as he was.

-The Next Day after the Birthday Party-

The siblings were just sitting around the house the next day waiting for the representative that their parents didn't know about while trying to look natural. Hermione was reading a new book that she had recently purchased on Advanced Dressage for Horses, and Harry was working on a Rubix cube that he had gotten at his party yesterday. He had enjoyed himself and they had gotten a chance to talk to Sarah about her magical schooling and they had told her about Remus's letter. She had been excited for them and wished them the best of luck today and promised to get back in touch once the meeting was over to see how it had gone.

Finally around one o'clock, they heard the sound of a doorbell resounding throughout the house, but they made no move to answer the door. This was something that their parents had to do. They heard feint sounds of their mother answering the door, and after a moment, inviting the stranger in and calling Harry and Hermione down from upstairs. They smiled to each other before continuing down the stairs to find their parents sitting in the living room next to a very familiar figure. It took all they had to not smile and act like they knew the man that now occupied their couch. _So this is what he meant by seeing us soon…_thought Hermione, being careful not to let a telltale smile escape her lips.

"Hello, my name is Remus Lupin," he said, "and I'm here today to talk to you about your son and daughter. This may sound rather crazy, but please hear me out. Have your children ever done anything very unusual?" he asked, directing his question to the sibling's mother and father, who had also joined them. Their parents thought back a moment and came up with several incidences.

"Yes," Ellen replied, "but why should our children concern you?"

"Because they are very special people. Harry, Hermione," he said, turning to each of them in turn, "you are magical, a witch and wizard." They acted surprised very well, Remus noted, considering none of this was new information. They dropped their jaws and stared at him wide-eyed.

"We're what?!" they asked simultaneously.

"A which and wizard, members of the magical community."

"How can you prove that magic is real?" their father asked, not believing a word this con-artist said.

"Very easily. Do you have a small object I could use, preferable something non-breakable?" he asked.

Harry glanced around the area where he was sitting, eyeing a golf ball that their black cat, Artemis, had been playing with earlier that morning until she had abruptly grown bored and had laid down for a nap. She was really Hermione's cat that she had gotten for a Christmas present about a year and a half ago. It had taken a year of begging, but Hermione had finally gotten her cat, which she had abruptly named Artemis after she had attacked a small foam ball that looked like the moon not two minutes after Hermione had gotten her. She was a very playful cat that loved Hermione more than any other person in the house, with the sibling's father falling in last place on her 'who I like best' list.

"Will this work?" Harry asked, tossing the ball over to Remus.

He caught it with easy, nodding as he did so. "This is perfect." He placed the ball on the coffee table before him, clearing his throat. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he murmured. The ball wriggled a minute before lifting quietly off the table level with the point of Remus's wand. He made the ball zoom around the room, around Harry and Hermione's heads and back to the table, where he carefully placed it.

Their father spoke up again. "How do I know that wasn't just some cheap trick that you had planed all along?" he asked.

Remus thought a moment before responding. "Do you have a toothpick that I could use?" he asked.

Ellen went to the kitchen and retrieved a toothpick, handing it to Remus. He placed it on the table as he had done with the golf ball and muttered more words under his breath. The toothpick wiggled a little bit before it became metal and shiny in the blink of an eye. Remus picked up the newly formed needle and handed it to Fred. "Will this suffice as proof," he asked.

Their father examined it for a moment before speaking. "Well, I would have to say that that is a needle. Maybe you do really have some base in this. You say that our children could learn to do this?"

"Yes, they are magical children and entitled to a magical education beginning at the age of eleven. Harry is actually a magical child by birth, but Hermione is what we would call a muggleborn in the wizarding world. That just means that she is a magical person that was born to non-magical parents."

As Harry listened to all this, he flashed back to the day that he had discovered his parentage.

_-Flashback-_

_Harry and Hermione were sitting in the library. They were both reading books that they had gotten in Diagon Alley. After a while of reading in silence, Hermione spoke up. "Hey Harry, what did that guy say that your old last name was?"_

_"Potter," he replied._

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Yeah, why?"_

_"Because, if your Harry Potter, then you better come read this," she said, pointing to a chapter near the end of her book, called 'The Rise and Fall of the Last Dark Lord' Harry read through the article, eyes widening. _

_Within the last 10 years the Wizarding world has seen the rise and fall of a Dark Lord who called himself Lord Voldemort .His defeat is still a very mysterious event that occurred on Halloween night in 1981 at Godric's Hollow. Voldemort discovered the residence of Lily and James Potter and they were to be the next of his many victims. He entered the house and quickly killed James and proceeded up the stairs where Lily was protecting their 1-year-old son, Harry Potter. Lily protected the child with her life and when Voldemort turned to kill the child, he couldn't. His curse backfired and he disappeared, supposed to be dead by many. We all must thank Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived._

_Harry read the article twice to be sure that he had really understood what he had read. Many questions passed through his mind. _Maybe they aren't really talking about me. What are the chances that there's another Harry Potter out there? Could it really be me? Could I be the hero of the Wizarding world without really knowing it?

_He took a deep breath and seceded that he would talk to Remus about it later. _

_-End Flashback- _

Harry had asked Remus about it the next time Remus had sent them a letter. Remus had confirmed that his parents had died saving him, but wouldn't give him the details. He didn't want Harry to be worried and it was still rather hard for him to talk about Lily and James.

"So, what do you say about all of this? I know it's a lot to take in all at once."

"What do we do about it?" Ellen asked, after pondering a moment. "What's the next step?"

Remus smiled, he was glad that she was taking this in stride, before responding, "Well, I think that the first step for you would be to attend a class for muggleborns and their parents. It starts on the Monday two weeks from today. It is held in Diagon Alley, a secret shopping Alley in London just for wizards. Someone would show you there the day before the class started. It will help you get acquainted with the Wizarding world and your children will learn things that all Wizarding children, also called pure bloods, know almost since birth. One day during class you will be informed about all the schools that your children could attend. Do they speak any language other than English?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes, they both speak Japanese," replied Ellen.

"Well then, they would have the option of going to schools in England, America, and Japan, a total of about 11 schools I believe. But I'm getting a head of myself, you don't need to worry about that for a little while longer. So, would you like to take the class?"

Ellen and Fred turned to each other as if communicating silently. After a moment, they both gave a small nod. "Yes, you can't go into a situation without knowing anything about it and this seems to be the best place to learn."

"Well then I will notify the ministry. You should receive a confirmation letter by owl in a few days with a few more details. Now," Remus said, "if you have no other questions, I will be going."

The sibling's parents stood to show Remus the door, but he made no move toward it. "I do believe that I will be seeing you later," Remus said. With a nod he simply disappeared.

Harry and Hermione turned to each other. This was beginning to get very interesting, a whole new beginning.

**A/N- I am going to be starting a story soon that is called A New Beginning Outtakes that will contain many things that this story just didn't have room for if I wanted to get to the meat of the story. I hope you'll all read it and enjoy, it will be a lot like the first several chapters of this story. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the wait, my life has been pretty hectic lately, but I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you thought!**

A New Beginning- chapter 9

A few days after Remus's visit a large barn owl was tapping at the window of the Granger residence, the library window in fact, where Harry and Hermione were sitting at the time. Hermione let the owl in and relieved it of its burden. The front of the letter showed that it was addressed to the entire family, so they sent the owl back outside and went down the stairs to show their mom who was the only one home at the time. She had gone back to work after Harry and Hermione had gone to Maple Grove, but it still took the summers of so that she had time to spend with her children.

"Hey Mom," Hermione called, " look what an owl just brought to the window." She handed the letter to her mother who paused a moment, feeling the thick texture of the paper, before opening it. She read it out loud to Harry and Hermione before they started reading over her shoulder in eagerness to see what the letter said.

_Granger Family:_

_We have been informed of the fact that you wish to participate in the magical orientation class. You have been enrolled and a representative from the Ministry will be at your residence a week from Sunday to escort you to Diagon Alley at 3:00 PM. Please bring enough clothing for a week and any other necessities that you might need that. We will see you next Sunday. _

_-Amelia Bones, Ministry Official _

"Well, I guess that settles that," Ellen replied. She pinned the letter to the family bulletin board and continued about her days work. The children retreated back up the library to talk and plan.

**-Sunday, the day they go to Diagon Alley- **

"Are you done packing yet Hermione?" Harry yelled up the stairs. He was waiting impatiently on the couch in the living room waiting for the Ministry Official to arrive, the book bag that he had purchased during his first visit to Diagon Alley was placed by his side, holding everything he would need for a week. The sibling's parents were in their room finishing up a little last minute packing.

"Coming!" she yelled as she zipped the top of her duffel bag closed. That done, she grabbed one last book from her nightstand and ran down the stairs and sat next to Harry on the couch.

"Hey, I just thought of something," Harry commented after a moment of silence. "Did they ever say how they would be getting here?"

"Umm…. I don't think so, but I suppose they will just come up and ring the doorbell like Remus did. I guess I hadn't really thought about it before." She glanced down at her watch. It read 2:50 p.m. "Hurry up Mom and Dad, you guys aren't gonna be ready in time!" she yelled into the bedroom.

Just as her parents exited their room and placed their bags by Harry and Hermione's, they heard a loud, sharp crack come from their kitchen. Fred motioned for them to remain where they were and he went to check it out. A few tense moments later, they remaining family heard Fred greet a man and he yelled for them to join him in the kitchen.

They entered to kind a young woman and an older man waiting, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The man looked very bizarre. One of his eyes looked like it was being held on by a leather strap and the eye itself was whirling around quickly in every conceivable direction. He looked a little worse for wear with his tattered clothing; a stunning contrast to the young woman next to him. She couldn't have been older than about 20 and her hair was a vibrant shade of pink. Harry and Hermione just stared for a moment as the older man began to speak. "Hello, my name is Alastor Moody and this is my assistant for the day Nymphadora." He took a breath and just as he was about to start talking again, the young woman butted in.

"It's Tonks, I despise the name Nymphadora. So, you must be Harry and Hermione?" she asked, gesturing toward the two children. They nodded. "Well then," she continued, "Would you like to see something cool?"

They turned to each other and then back to Tonks, "Sure," said Hermione, wondering if maybe she would show them a bit of magic.

"Alright, hold on one second and watch my face very closely," she commanded and a look a deep concentration came over face. Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing. Unless his eyes were deceiving him, Tonk's face was starting to… wiggle, for lack of a better word. After a moment her face and all it's features, including her hair, had changed. Her hair had gone from pink to lime green and had gained about four inches. Her face had gotten much longer and her nose was more pronounced and was shaped like that of a pigs. Her eyes had gone from brown to green and her hair was also green. She breathed in and a sound of a pig escaped her lips. Harry's jaw dropped. The figure that had once been Tonks started to squeal before her face once again wiggled and the old Tonks had returned, and she was laughing her head off. She took a few deeps breaths before continuing.

"I'm what we call a Metamorphmagus in the Wizarding world. It's a natural ability, not something you can learn. It allows me to change my facial features at will into anything that I want them to be. You should have seen both of your faces when I did that. Hermione, your eyes got so big that I thought they were going to fall out like Mad-eye's." she said, motioning to the old man who was still scowling at them.

"Nymphadora, if you are done with your childish antics, we need to get them to Diagon Alley," he said with a gruff.

"Fine, fine, where did you put the floo powder?" she grumbled; she happened to like showing off. Mad-eye pulled a small cloth bag out of his coat and held it out to Tonks. She reached inside of it and grabbed a pinch of whatever was inside. Mad-eye did too and held it down for the children and parents to see.

"This is floo powder," he began. "We use it as a form of travel in the Wizarding world. Just take a pinch of it and throw it into the fire. Say the name of the place you want to go and step through the flames. Be sure not to get out early. Nymphadora, will you go first?"

Tonks scowled at the use of that name and looked like she could rip Mad-eye's head off. She nodded and threw her bit of floo powder into the fireplace. Green flames sprouted from the inside of the fireplace. "Leaky Cauldron!" she called before stepping through the green flames and disappearing.

"Your turn Harry," said Mad-eye, holding out the small bag to him. He reached over and took a small pinch, hoping that it would be enough. He shuffled over to the fireplace and through the powder into the fireplace, copying Tonks's movements. The green flames quickly sprouted up and Harry was surprised to find that they admitted no heat. "Leaky Cauldron!" he called and hesitantly stepped into the flame. As soon as he entered, it felt as if he was being sucked into a whirlwind. His insides churned and he thought he might throw up. His whole body felt as if it was being crushed from all sides. He felt a blast of clean air and suddenly the squeezing feeling stopped. Before he could even realize what was happening, he felt the impact of a cold stone floor on his face and the rest of his body. Slowly opening his eyes that he must have closed during the journey sometime without realizing it, he observed his surroundings. Well, he attempted to anyway, but Tonks was standing in his way. She reached out a hand to help him up, but as he was reaching for it, he heard a small pop and felt a large weight on his back.

Turning his head around, he spotted Hermione, who had tripped over him and landed on his back as she exited the fireplace. He waited for Hermione to roll of his back and he scooted over to the side of the fireplace before he was trampled again. Hermione's face turned red. "Sorry Harry, I didn't mean to trip over you."

"It's ok, it didn't hurt that much."

Tonks was snickering in the background. "I always love to watch the landings of people that have never used the floo before," she said, still laughing a little as Harry and Hermione's mom and dad tripped over each other and out of the fireplace. Harry took a quick opportunity to observe the building he was in now that he was out of the way. It was a dimly lit, yet strangely inviting tavern. There were a few people sitting and the tables talking and eating. Harry saw at least two families that he thought were probably here for the class like his family was as they were dressed… normally. All the other people in the tavern were wearing what looked to be like robes to Harry. They looked very old fashioned as far as he was concerned. He glanced behind the counter and what he saw made him take a second glance at it. The glasses were cleaning themselves; at least that's how it appeared to him. Slowly he was remembering his first visit, his secret visit here all those years ago.

While Harry had been looking around, Mad-Eye had flooed in and they were ready to move on. Tonks walked over to the bar and motioned to the older man behind the counter. Once she had his attention, she motioned to Harry and his family and held out her hand as if expecting something from him. He nodded and handed her a key. He whispered one more thing to her and then turned back to polishing his glasses. Tonks walked back over to them, holding the key out in front of her.

"You guys have a room here at the Leaky Cauldron this week. Tom over there is the bar-keeper and will be glad to help you with anything that you might need. Your room is upstairs, number 11. I'll take you up there now if you want," she said.

"Ok, that would be nice," Ellen said, picking up her bags. Everyone else did the same and followed Tonks up a set of rather narrow stairs and down a short hallway. Tonks showed them the room and handed Harry, Hermione, and Ellen a sheet of paper.

"These papers have all the information that you will need to know for your stay here over the next week. Harry and Hermione each get one with specifics of what they will be doing and the parents have to share one. Please read them over soon. We have to go escort another family now, but if you have any questions, Tom the barkeeper downstairs will be willing to help. See you guys later," she finished, smiling and waving to the family before exiting the door behind Mad-Eye.

As the children's parents started to unpack their belongings, Harry and Hermione sat down to read over their sheets.

_Hello and welcome to the Magical Orientation program. First off, let us congratulate you on deciding to come to this program as it will make your transition to the magical world much easier. The first item on your agenda is a family style supper tonight in the dining hall at the Leaky Cauldron where you will meet your instructor for the week and learn about some of the logistics of the class. Starting tomorrow, you will have class in the morning and an activity in the afternoon. The activities are as follows._

_Monday- Tour of Diagon Alley_

_Tuesday- Setting up Gringotts Account _

_Wednesday- Tour of the Ministry _

_Thursday- Shopping _

_Friday- Party _

_We hope you will enjoy your experience here and good luck. _

_-Amelia Bones- Magical Orientation Planning committee_

-Later that night, dinner time-

Harry and Hermione were dressed in nice but not overly fancy clothes and were sitting at a table in the bar below there room with many other students and their parents that were involved in the program. They had just finished a nice dinner and were now waiting for the instructor to get up and introduce herself. A moment later, a young woman with long blonde hair stood up and cleared her throat. She couldn't have been older than 20 and was rather short in statue. She was wearing a pink V-neck tee-shirt and white pants that made her look slightly older than she really was. She was wearing high heels to try and compensate for her short size. Everyone turned to look at her and she began talking.

"Hello, my name is Hilary Robbins and I am going to be teaching all the children in this room about the wizarding world this week. I am a muggleborn, which is just a witch or wizard born to non-magical parents; myself and I know how hard the transition can be for muggleborns. When I finished my magical schooling, I proposed the idea to the Ministry of an orientation class for muggleborns to make it easier and they agreed to try it for at least a year and see how it worked, so you guys are the guinea pigs to see if this will work for future children. I hope you all have a nice time here this week as we have fun and try to learn at least a little. Now, for the schedule this week. Every morning I will meet with the children in the building next door that is currently an empty shop, just go out the back doors and it is immediately to your left. On Monday, the parents should attend with their children, but the rest of the week they are free to do what they want in the mornings, go into Muggle London and shop around or whatever. In the afternoons, as you should already know, we will have special activities. All of these activities are for both the parents and children and should be quite fun. That's all I'll say for now, see you in the morning," she finished, sitting down as a few people applauded.

After a minute, there was much scrapping of chairs as people began to leave the dining room and Harry and Hermione followed suit. It had been a very interesting day and it was shaping up to be a very interesting week, but only time would tell whether that came true or not.


	10. Chapter 10

**A New Beginning chapter 10**

-Monday Morning, 7 a.m.-

Hermione woke up in a strange room and it took her a minute to remember where she was. After a few minutes, she got out of bed and began to get ready for her first day of the orientation. She picked out a pink V-neck tee-shirt with rhinestones on the collar and a black pleated skirt that fell just above her knee with black knee-length socks and black clogs. She pulled the front of her brown bushy hair back into a claw clip to try and keep it out of her face.

By the time she was done, the rest of her family had gotten up and began to get ready for the day. Harry chose for himself a pair of black dress pants and a red polo shirt with black dress shoes. He tried using a little water to tame his hair, but, as usual, to no avail. It was still sticking up everywhere and looked like he had just climbed out of bed. He finished by wiping down his glasses and spraying them with a little bit of window cleaner that he used to clean them. The Grangers had offered several times to buy him contacts, but he refused. He just wouldn't be Harry without his glasses.

When everyone was do getting ready, the family went downstairs and ordered some breakfast from Tom the bartender. Whenever he came over to speak to them, his eyes seemed to linger a little longer on Harry before turning back to the business at hand. Harry spent no more than a moment thinking about it; he was probably just trying to figure out why Harry didn't look like any of the other Grangers.

At 7:50, the family walked to the back of the bar and followed a few other families through a brick wall that opened up to a archway when tapped in just the right places to the building that looked to be a unused shop next door. When the Grangers entered they saw that the shop had been set up to look like a classroom. At the front sat a large black board and a teacher's desk. The rest of the room was filled with small tables that would seat two people each. Each seat was accompanied by a name tag letting the students know where they were to sit. Harry and Hermione quickly found their seats, which were at the same table as they were seated alphabetically. Precisely at 8 o'clock, Hilary walked into the store/classroom to the waiting class. She walked up to the teacher's desk and, as if to show that this was supposed to be informal and fun, sat on the desk with her legs in Indian style. She was wearing black dress pants and a maroon sweater, even though it was hot outside. She looked around the classroom, surveying the students for a moment. When she got to Harry and Hermione's table her eyes lingered a little longer on Harry as she glanced up at his forehead where he had a very odd shaped scar. Her eyes widened a little bit at the sight, but she quickly shook her head and moved on. After she finished surveying the room, she began to talk.

"Welcome students and parents," she said, nodding to each group in turn, "today we will be having a very brief introduction to the wizarding world that I believe the parents need to hear, and then this afternoon we will be taking a tour of Diagon Alley, the road that starts at the Leaky Cauldron where many of you are staying and contains most of the wizarding shops in Britain." She paused a moment, gathering her thoughts before starting a small speech about the basics of the world that these children and parents were about to become a part of.

"Wizards have a long and powerful history that is streaked with sadness because they can't live freely in this world. There are three main categories of witches and wizards, and all of them are based on your birth. None of them are better than the others in the eyes of most people, but there are a few notable exceptions. In the wizarding world, you are either a pureblood, half blood, or muggleborn. There are a few families of what are called 'pureblood' wizards left that have an all magical background. These people generally have great power in the wizarding world and some look down on witches and wizards because you are 'muggleborn', or have non-magical parents. This doesn't mean anything of course, but some families, especially the really old ones, are prejudiced against you. I'm not telling you this to frighten you; I'm just trying to prepare you for what every one of you will face at some point. The last group is the half bloods, who are born of a magical person and a non-magical one. These are rarer than the other two because wizards tend to marry other magical people to simplify things, such as explaining why you can do magic." She paused a moment and smiled at them before continuing on a different subject.

"Of course, wizardry involves magic and we use this to cast our spells," she said, pulling out what looked to be a stick that had been polished up to the children and parents in the audience. "The wand acts as a focus for your power; each wand is specific to the witch or wizard that it belongs to. Mine is made of oak, 10" long, and as a holly core. Each one of you in here will have a different wand, and while you can use some else's wand, you won't get nearly as good as a result as you would with a wand that chose you. After you all get your wands, we will be trying some simple spells here so that you can get the hang of using magic." She talked on a while longer about some other basics, like the ministry and other ruling bodies. She stopped for a minute and reached into the bag that she had brought with her. She rummaged around for a moment finally pulling out a large stack of brochures. There weren't that many different ones, just lots of copies of each. She hopped off the desk and passed them around the room, one set of each different one to each table.

"One of the main reasons that I wanted your parents to come today is that I want to begin to look at magical schools that you can attend. There are many options, both within Britain and out. For those of you that are bilingual, there are many options in the countries for the languages you speak too. The brochures on the table in front of you are the most popular English speaking schools in the world. Before you get to work, do we have any bilingual students in here?" she asked. Harry and Hermione both looked at each other before raising their hands. As everyone else got to work looking through the brochures, Hilary came over to them.

"So, my only bilingual students this year," she commented. "What second language do you speak?" she asked.

"Japanese," said Hermione. Hilary looked at them a bit funny, but rummaged through her bag again.

"I don't think that I have very many of those, I didn't expect anyone to be able to speak an Asian language. If you don't mind my asking, where did you learn it?" she questioned.

"We went to an advanced Junior school where everyone picked a second language to learn, we just happened to chose Japanese. The earlier you learn a language the easier you can learn it, so by starting early, it took us about half the time that it would have taken an older student to learn the language," Hermione said. Hilary handed over two more brochures to Harry, who was currently looking through them.

"You guys were very lucky; I wish I would have gotten a chance like that. Well, good luck deciding," she said before walking over to another table to a kid and his parents who were looking a little overwhelmed by the stack of about 10 brochures. There were a few from America and a few from Europe. The siblings' parents came up to sit beside them from where they had been sitting in the back of the room.

"Ok, why don't we divide them up between the four of us and try and rule out a few that we think aren't the best choices. Good ones on the left side of the table and ones that don't look as interesting on the right," said Ellen, immediately taking over. They all nodded and took three brochures each. Brochures for Hogwarts, Rushgrove Academy, Beauxbatons, and Supirittsu Academy for the Talented Witch of Wizard ended up in the keep pile and the others were moved aside. Hermione had looked over the Supirittsu Academy one and thought that it looked very interesting. Harry had thrown the one for Hogwarts in the pile, Ellen Beauxbatons, and Fred Rushgrove. After they were done with the narrowing down, they started to look through them all again. Hermione showed the Supirittsu Academy one to Harry and he agreed with her.

"Mom, Dad, what do you think about this one?" Hermione asked, holding up the Supirittsu Academy one. "It's located in Japan, and I know that it's a long was away, but it has lots of cool things. They offer a few electives that some of the others don't and they also offer Muggle classes after you get done with your magical classes for the day if you want to continue your studies in Muggle subjects. Also, I noticed that most of the other schools have the kids divided up into houses based on characteristics that they might have, but Supirittsu doesn't have that. It's a more unified school where everybody is friends with everybody."

Then Harry piped up, "They also have smaller class sizes than all of the other schools because you have to be accepted. You tell them that you want to go there and you have to have had good enough grades in Junior school to be accepted. The classes are mostly in Japanese, but that really isn't a problem for us. Most of the Japanese students there will also speak English at least a little bit, so we won't forget how to speak English and we can help them perfect their English."

"What do you think?" Hermione finished up. They both knew that this was the school that they wanted to go to, now they just had to get their parents to let them go to Japan for three-quarters of the year.

The siblings' parents looked at each other before turning around to discuss the matter privately. Harry and Hermione heard a few noises from their parents, but none of it was enough to glean any information from, even though they were trying as hard as they could to listen in. After a few tense minutes for the children, Fred and Ellen turned back around to face them. Thoughts were flying across Hermione's mind at a million miles a minute, _Are they going to let us go? I really want to, but it is far away from home. What is they say no? How can I convince them to say yes? _were just some of her thoughts. Ellen nodded to Fred as if to tell him to let the children know there decision before they burst from anticipation. Though he enjoyed the looks on the faces of his children in their anticipation, he decided to end their misery and nodded. Hermione screamed and several curious students and parents in the room turned to look at her. Harry just inwardly sighed and sigh of relief and his face broke out in a huge smile.

"There are a few conditions though," said their mother, bringing the children's attention back to them. "One, you must visit home at least over Christmas and you must write every other week so that we know you are doing ok. Two, if your grades drop, we will be bringing back to England to complete your schooling. Lastly, you must still remember how to speak English when you get home, so don't forget to practice it at least every now and then," she said with a slight sigh. The children were known to go off in rants where they talked only in Japanese to 'practice', though Ellen thought that is was really about keeping something from their father and her. "Do you understand?" she asked.

"Yes, yes," they both replied, "that's fine." Ellen motioned for the teacher to come over.

"Ok, we have decided what school they think they want to go to, so what do we need to do with that?" she asked her.

"Does the school require an application?" Hilary asked.

Hermione answered for her mother, "It just says that we must be accepted. It didn't actually say application."

"Well, that means it probably does. Let me look and I'll let you know. What school did you decide on?"

"Supirittsu Academy."

Hilary nodded and went up to the desk where she shuffled through a bag, pulling out 2 pieces of paper. She came back over to their table and handed the applications to them. "These are the applications. Just fill them out and then I will help you sent them because in the wizarding world, we send mail by owls." she finished, she bid them good luck and left to help another boy named Dean Thomas who looked completely confused as to what he should be looking for.

Harry started to look over the application. It was fairly strait forward, asking for only basic information and then a little bit about his muggle schooling. Though it was written in English, by the way it was written he could tell that it had probably been translated from Japanese.

In the time they had left, Harry and Hermione completed the applications and told Hilary. She promised that if they stayed after class that day before lunch she would take them down to the post office to mail them so that they could here back from the school as early as Wednesday.

The morning session was finished up quickly as most of the students decided which school they wanted to attend. Listening around, Hermione found out that most of the people would be going to Hogwarts, the premier school in England. Harry and Hermione had thought about going there, but it wouldn't have taken advantage of their second language and it didn't offer any muggle classes or fun extra-curricular activities except some sport called Quiddich. Supirittsu offered both muggle classes and muggle extra-curricular activities in addition to the wizarding ones.

As all the other families exited the building, Harry, Hermione, and their parents stayed behind. Hilary motioned them to the door and they followed her out of the shop-turned-classroom into the busy streets of Diagon Alley.

Harry marveled at all the shops the lined the small street. He hadn't noticed them before since the 'school' was so close to the entryway. There were shops for everything from books to potions supplies to animals. Harry couldn't wait until he had time to explore a little more. Hilary was chatting with his parents as they walked the short distance to the owlery. Harry could still see more shops down the street when they stopped at the owlery and wondered what was down their. Hilary led them inside and showed them how to rent an owl and loaned them some wizard money to do so. They soon attached their letter to a brown speckled owl who flew off into the distance. With their task accomplished, they decided to head back to the inn where they were staying to eat some lunch before the afternoon session.

A Few hours Later

After a nice lunch and short rest, the family headed back out to the small shop-turned-classroom for their tour of the Alley. They got there about five minutes before they had to be, so they decided to talk to someone else. The first boy they came across was Dean Thomas who they had seen earlier in the day. Trying to make some friends, Harry and Hermione approached him. "Hello," began Harry. "By name's Harry and this is my sister Hermione. Who are you?" he asked.

"My name's Dean, pleased to meet you," the slightly nervous boy replied.

"Have you decided where you want to go to school yet?" asked Hermione, forever curious about anything to do with education.

"I think I'm going to Hogwarts. Good school in England, so it seems the most logical choice. What about you two?"

"We're going to go to Supirittsu," said Hermione.

"I've never heard of that one, where is it?"

"Japan, on the outskirts of Kyoto more precisely."

They chatted for a few more minutes before Hilary came and began the tour of the alley. She led them down the street and pointed out all the shops and explained what they sold. She made sure to stress all the shops that would be most important to the children when getting their supplies for school. She also warned them about the dangers of Knockturn Alley and all the dark shops it held. The last stop on the tour was Olivander's wand shop.

"Here is what may be the most important part of your time here this week, the wand shop. After we go to Gringotts tomorrow, you all should come purchase your wand sometime here on your own before Friday, as that is when we will be attempting out first spells. That's all I have for you for now, so you have the rest of the afternoon to yourselves. See you tomorrow morning," she called before releasing the students and their families. Harry couldn't wait until he got his wand, the true symbol of his power.

**A/N- the end of another chapter has come. Sorry updates have been so spaced out, but I have finals coming next week, but then I am free for two weeks, so hopefully I can make some real progress on this story, maybe even get a few chapters done and get some of the boring stuff out of the way. I know that the story has been kinda slow, but I finally have a solid plot line (thank-you Kiari!) and next chapter will bring about a realization to Harry. Thank-you for being such kind readers –Mizukey**

**Also, I am looking for a beta-reader for this story. If you are interested drop me a review or a PM. -Mizu**


	11. Chapter 11

A.N -Sheepishly- ok so… I know it has been a while and I'm very sorry about that. I really just wanted to get this week at Diagon Alley over with, but I was having trouble finding inspiration for it. I'm not going to promise a date for an update because that always seems to get me in trouble, but I do hope that it will be faster than this one. I think in the next chapter or two they will finally be getting to school. I hope you enjoy this chapter though! –Mizukey

**A New Beginning Chapter 11**

The second day of the orientation started quickly and before Harry realized what time it was Hilary was calling for the lunch break. They had been having a very interesting discussion on the differences between the world and both children were sad to see it end. They met up with their parents in the Leaky Cauldron for lunch again today and had a light lunch of cold sandwiches and crisps. After they had eaten the entire family re-entered Diagon Alley to meet the rest of the group in front of Gringotts where they would be this afternoon.

"Hey guys," Hilary called, standing on the steps leading to Gringotts. "Come over here so I can talk to you." The group moved over to her, excited to be getting started. "Ok, I'm going to tell you the agenda for today and give out some warnings before we go in. First, the goblins are going to talk about setting up an account if you wish to do so and about changing muggle money into wizard money to spend here in Diagon Alley and then they will let you do whatever you need to take care of. Let me know before you leave and then the rest of the night is yours. Now, I should warn you that goblins are easily offended creatures and won't tolerate any funny business. As you may see as you are entering the building, there is a poem on the door of the bank. I think you all need to hear it so you don't get any bright ideas," she finished, as she glared at a few of the more mischievous students.

_Enter, stranger, but take heed,_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned,_

_Beware of finding more than treasure there._

She finished with a solemn note. "Now, let's get in there!" she said with enthusiasm to lighten the mood that had fallen over the crowd.

As they entered, the beauty of the lobby took Hermione by surprise. Harry noticed the sumptuous furnishings and was a little afraid to touch anything. The group was greeted by three goblins who motioned for them all to gather close. One of the goblins cleared his throat before beginning. "Hello all, and welcome to Gringotts, the only Wizarding bank in existence today." He continued to talk about the history of Gringotts, but it didn't hold Harry's attention very well and his mind wandered over everything they had learned in the past two days.

Harry and Hermione's parents had decided the night before that they would be setting up both of their children accounts at Gringotts. When the goblin was finished talking, the Grangers joined the small groups of people that were going to set up accounts. After waiting in line for about 10 minutes they were called into the office of one of the Goblins. Ellen and Fred took seats and the children stood beside them.

"I'm Griphook and I have been assigned to assist you today. Your names?" he asked.

"My name is Ellen Granger and this is my husband Fred."

"I'm Hermione Granger."

"And I'm Harry Granger," Harry finished.

"We need to set up accounts for both of them today," Fred explained.

"Place your thumbs on this pad, one at a time." Griphook motioned toward a small black box on the mahogany desk, "for recognition purposes later on. Who's first?"Hermione stepped forward and placed her thumb on the block as instructed, holding it there until they heard a small ding from the box. Griphook looked at the back side of the box intently for a moment, writing down some valuable information for the vault sheet he would have to fill out later. "You next," he said, nodding to Harry.

Harry walked up to the box and placed his thumb down. It sat there for a moment before dinging several times in rapid secession. "My, my…. how unusual. Mr. Granger, were you by any chance adopted?" Griphook questioned after reading the back of the box with wide eyes.

"Yes, back when I was four."

"Do you know your original surname?" he asked curtly.

"Umm…." Harry paused, trying to think.

"It was Potter," Fred said unexpectedly.

"I deduced as much. It turns out that Mr. Potter here already has a vault at Gringotts. Several, in fact, though he will not be able to make withdrawals from most until he is of age. You have one trust vault that you may access now, containing enough money for all of your school fees and plenty of extra money. We will have someone take you down later to see it."

"What about the other vaults?" Ellen asked.

"They are being watched over by his magical guardian, Albus Dumbledore. Do you wish to change this?"

"How has he been managing Harry's finances?" Fred asked. He didn't know much about finances, but he knew it was easy to see if someone was managing them in a positive way.

"He has been making large withdrawals for himself as Harry's guardian and not keeping up on all the bookkeeping, so I couldn't tell you. If you wish, you may appoint a goblin to take over because of the neglect he has been showing. Do you wish to do this?"

"Yes, I think we should. We wouldn't want our son's fortune to be stolen by this man. Why, may I ask, does our Harry have so much money?" Fred asked.

"Harry is the head of a very powerful family that had been in the investing business for several generations. They were a very powerful pureblood family who has always fought on the side of the light, making them major targets in this last war. All were wiped out except for Harry here, and he is, in fact, the one who defeated the Dark Lord."

"What do you mean I defeated a Dark Lord?" Harry questioned as he sat down. This was a lot to take in all at once.

"I'm not sure I'm really the person to tell you. Maybe you should ask someone else," finished Griphook, just the slightest hint of compassion in his voice. "I'll have someone take control of your vaults and we will send you a summery of what you own within the week. I will get you a copy of Harry's vault key and a key for Hermione's vault. If you will follow me," he said, getting up out of his chair and walking toward the door. The family followed him, slightly in shock of what they had just heard. They would have to look into this more. Harry decided that he would talk to Hilary once they were done and see if she would tell him anything.

Griphook led them through a door and directed them to climb into a cart. The underground dungeon, for lack of a better word, was musty smelling as if the same air had been circulating through its walls for at least a century. Everything was dimly lit, making it hard to see more than just a few inches in front of your face at any given moment, though it was better closer to the door.

Almost as soon as they started moving, the cart came to a halt. "This will be Hermione's vault, but as you have not deposited any money in it yet, it is empty. So we will just head down to Harry's vault," he finished as the cart began to move once again. It took them down deeper and deeper into the mine-like cave until it came to a halt in front of one of the vaults. Griphook motioned for them to get out and put Harry's key in the hole. The great stone moved aside and Harry was amazed at the piles of money before him. There were piles of gold galleons, silver sickles, and even a few bronze knuts.

As the whole family stood in shock for a moment at how rich their son was. "If I may make a suggestion," Griphook said, "perhaps one of our 10 galleon bags would be best for you. They keep a constant supply of 10 galleons in your bag and if you need more you either wait 10 seconds for the bag to refill itself or you can tap it with your wand and say how much you need and that amount will appear in the bag. Only you and anyone you decide to key into the bag will be able to access it, so you won't have to worry about someone stealing it and having access to all the money in your vault. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, I think that is a good idea. When I will I be able to get this bag?" Harry asked.

"Right now up in the main hall if you wish. I would guess that you have many purchases to make for the school year, correct?"

"Yes," Harry replied.

They followed the goblin back into the cart and rode back up to the main hall. Once there, they split up. Harry and Fred went to stand in a line to get Harry's bag and Ellen and Hermione stood in another line to make their initial deposit into Hermione's account. Half and hour later they were done and decided that they still had enough time left in the afternoon to get the children's wands from Ollivander's. They walked the short distance to the wand shop and were surprised to find it empty, except for a single man. He looked to be older in years with fuzzy white hair and glasses and he was behind the counter that covered the entire length of the store, looking over several long boxes that Hermione guessed contained wands. The old man turned around to look at them, pulling the glasses off his nose and rubbing the spot where they had been.

"Hello," he greeted, "May I help you?"

"Umm… is this where we buy wands?" Harry asked. His voice wobbled a little bit; unsure if the question would make him look stupid. He wrung is hands, popping one of them and causing the resounding crack to fill the shop, or so it seemed to him.

"Yes, that is the primary function, though if you went to the back you might thing it was a giant rubbish bin. Are you both getting a wand today?" he asked, directing his attention to the children.

"Yes," they replied in unison.

"Well, I do believe the saying is ladies fir….My God, its Harry Potter," he said, clearly stunned at the sight of Harry.

"Well, I guess I am, or more correctly was," Harry replied. He wasn't really enjoying all the attention that he was getting lately. "I was adopted when I was four by the Grangers. This is my mother Ellen, my father Fred, and my sister Hermione," he finished, wishing people that people would realize that he wasn't really Harry Potter anymore; he was Harry Granger and had been since the Grangers had adopted him; about as far back as he could remember.

"Ahh yes, but I do remember you're other parents coming in here to get their first wands. James's wand was Eleven inches, mahogany, pliable, excellent for transfiguration and Lily's was Ten and a quarter inches, willow, swishy, good for charm work, but that was in the past I suppose and it would do more good to dwell on the future. Hermione, was it? I believe I said you were first. What arm do you write with?"

"My right."

Ollivander flicked his wand at a tape measure that was lying on the desk and it floated over to Hermione. It started by measuring her arm, then moved on to other places such as the bridge between her nose, before he ordered it to stop. He grabbed a few of the boxes off the wall and set them down on the counter. Lifting the top one off the pile, he opened it to reveal the wand inside.

"Mahogany, unicorn hair, 13 in, rather whippy. Give it a try," he said, handing her the wand. She grabbed the wand and held it for a second before Mr. Ollivander took it and put it back in the box. "No, that's not it. The wand chooses the wizard, you know. I'll know when we find the right one for you." He had her try a few more; all of them unsuccessful. "Vinewood, dragon heart string, 14 inches, springy," he said handing her the wand. Almost as soon as she touched it, Hermione's face lit up.

"This is the one," she said.

"Try giving it a little wave," Ollivander said. She did so and purple sparks shot out the end. "Yes, this wand seems to suit you very well. Next?" he asked, looking toward Harry.

Harry stepped up to the counter and held out his arm for Ollivander to measure. After taking the measurements, Mr. Ollivander grabbed a few boxes off the wall behind him. Harry tried a few wands without any luck. After about 10 wands, Harry was wondering if there was even a wand in the store for him. "I wonder…." Ollivander started before venturing into the back of his shop. He returned a moment later, holding another wand box. "Try this one," he instructed.

Harry grasped the wand with his right hand and immediately felt warmth spread through his finger tips and flow through his entire body and he _knew_that this was the wand for him. "This is it," he said, almost echoing Hermione's earlier words.

"I wondered if it would not be…" Ollivander said. "This wand is very interesting. It's core is phoenix feather and the phoenix that gave it gave only one other and that makes up the core of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's wand."

"You mean Voldemort?" asked Harry, trying to make the connections to this person that everyone seemed to know about but him.

"Do not utter that name!" Ollivander said sternly, turning to face Harry. "Yes, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is the one who gave you that scar," he said, pointing to Harry's forehead where his lightning bolt scar was fixed. He then proceeded to give them a slight history of the rise and fall of Voldemort after seeing the confused looks on their faces. ((I'm not going to give the whole history here. If you want to know what happened with Voldemort, go re-read the first book))

They left the wand shop that day a few Galleons lighter and with much to think about. _I can't believe that this happened to me… _Harry thought as he left. _What does this mean for the future? _He resolved that as soon as he could get Hermione alone, they were going to have a talk about it.

-Wednesday-

The third day of the Diagon Alley week was just as interesting as the first two, with one very important thing happening that day, the letters from Supirittsu. After the class portion of the day was finished, Harry and Hermione met with their family for lunch in the Leaky Cauldron as they had the days before. While they were waiting on their lunch to be served, an owl flew through the window, unnoticed by the family and most of the other diners. It perched high in the ceiling and seemed to look around for a moment before spotting the Granger family and flying towards them, landing gently on the table.

Hermione was the fastest one to grab the owl, noticing the two letters attached to its leg. She relived the barn owl of its burden and began to look over the letters. One was addressed to her and the other to Harry. She handed him his, which he accepted, and turned hers over to open it. It was sealed with wax, something that neither of the children had seen before. Hermione carefully split hers, making sure not to rip any of the envelope or the letters inside. Once it was open, she pulled out three pieces of a parchment-like paper and read over the first one. It was short, sweet, and to the point.

Supirittsu Academy for the Gifted and Talented Witch or Wizard

Headmistress- Chihami Ruka

Dear future student,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Supirittsu Academy for the Gifted and Talented Witch or Wizard. Please note that this high honor only goes out to the best, and it seems as if you have met our fine schools standards as to attend in this oncoming school year. You will be among some of the talented young minds that are already attending; we hope that you will enjoy your education into the matters of witchcraft and wizardry. Enclosed is a forum designated for your scheduling, book fees, dress code regulations, and other various informational guides that are necessary for a proper schooling. We look forward to seeing you September first. Also enclosed is the information pertaining to getting you to Japan and to the school.

The Supirittsu Board of Education

"Yes!" Hermione shouted, causing several diners to look her way. She backed down a bit; her face now beat red and muttering apologies. Harry laughed at Hermione's antics, but he was also smiling from ear to ear, a clear sign that he had also been accepted.

"I take it that you both made it?" Ellen asked.

"Yes, I think it is safe to assume that, considering Hermione's behavior," Harry replied.

"Well, congratulations. What else does the letter say?"

"It says that enclosed we will find other important information," Harry responded, but Hermione was already deep into the second, third, and fourth pages of her letter.

Second Page-

Classes- You will need to select at least 3 but no more than 6 of the following electives. Please choose wisely as it is very difficult to pick up a class after your first year but you can always drop one as long as you are still taking at least three electives.

Ancient Runes

Arithmency

Care of Magical Creatures

Divination

Dueling and Healing

Estate Management

Muggle Studies

Spell Construction

You will also be required to take the following Core Classes:

Astronomy

Charms

Defense Against the Dark Arts

Herbology

History of Magic

Potions

Transfiguration

If you wish, you may also decide to take a series of muggle classes. If you decide to take them, you must take them all. They are:

Japanese

English

History

Science

Math

Please send a return owl with which electives that you want to take by August 30th.

Third Page-

Please purchase the following books if you wish to take that class.

Ancient Runes- Ancient Runes Symbology

Arithmency- Arithmency: The Math of the Wizarding World

Astronomy- A Wizard's Guide to the Stars

Care of Magical Creatures- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Charms- The Magical World of Charms

Defense Against the Dark Arts- Defense: The How To

Divination- Seeing the Future

Dueling and Healing- How to Beat Your Enemies and Healing the Human Body

Estate Management- How to Protect your Families Estate

Herbology- How to Grow Your Magical Garden

History of Magic- History of the Wizarding World

Muggle Studies- The Muggle Lifestyle

Potions- The Potions Handbook

Spell Construction- The Language of Spells

Transfiguration – This to That: A Guide to Transfiguration

The Muggle class textbooks will be provided for you at school.

You will also need to purchase the following supplies:

Robes-

Supirittsu Academy Uniform

Girls- Navy knee-length pleated skirt, silver sweater with school logo, white short sleeve shirt with school logo, navy blue blazer with school logo, white knee-length socks, and brown shoes

Boys- Navy dress pants, white short sleeve shirt with school logo, navy blue blazer with school logo, black dress shoes, and black socks.

Both- Navy cloak with school logo. One in cotton and one in wool to be worn around the school at all times.

Other Supplies

Size 2 pewter cauldron

Brass scales

Beginners Potion Kit

Telescope

Wand

1 Set Glass or Crystal Phials

Writing Supplies (parchment quills for Magic Classes and notebooks and ink pens for the Muggle ones)

You are allowed to bring a pet- Cat, Owl, Snake. Any other requests may be sent in writing to the office for approval

Page 4-

It has come to the attention of the staff here at Supirittsu that you are coming from outside of Japan. Special arrangements will have to be made in order to get you to Japan. Someone will arrive at your residence on August 31 at promptly 9:00 a.m. to transport your family to Japan. You will be given a hotel to stay in for the night and then will proceed to the tram-station with the other students in order to get to the school. The person who comes to pick you up will speak English so that everyone will be able to understand him/her. We look forward to meeting you there.

It was almost too much information for one person to take in at once. All Hermione could think about was the fact that she couldn't wait to go shopping and decide what classes to take.

"Harry, what classes do you think you want to take?" she asked.

Harry noticed Hermione's immediate mind on the academics and laughed inwardly about it. Some things about Hermione were always the same, no matter which world you were in.

"Well, I haven't really thought about it since we've only had the paper for about five minutes." He smirked at her in a very sarcastic way to let her know that he was just kidding and she humped and pouted a bit.

"You don't have to make fun of me you know," she replied in an equally sarcastic manner.

"I know. Why don't we look at the course books when we go to the bookstore tomorrow and look at what some of the subjects are about," Harry suggested. Hermione agreed and they finished off their lunches. After safely tucking their letters in their pockets, they ran off to the make shift classroom to join the rest of their class for a tour of the Ministry.

-Thursday-

Their morning class had passed rather quickly on Thursday. They had discussed the previous day's trip to the ministry and had also made a simple boil potion. All the students were given a book, provided by the ministry, which told them some of the basics of the school subjects that all magically-raised children just knew, like how to properly hold a wand, the difference between charms, curses, and transfiguration, etc. for them to look at and to cover some of the stuff they wouldn't have time to cover during the week.

The afternoon was bright and sunny, one of the best days of the year weather-wise. It was a breezy 72 degree afternoon and everyone was ready to shop till they dropped. Most students were heading off towards the robe shop or the Apothecary, but not Harry and Hermione… they knew exactly where they wanted to go.

Hermione hurriedly pushed open the doors of Flourish and Blotts with much enthusiasm. As she blasted through the doors, she froze as soon as she entered the magnificent building. Her eyes grew wide and her jaw almost fell to the floor in sheer amazement. Before her lay piles upon piles of books. They covered every imaginable surface and then some. For an instant all thoughts stopped passing through her head and she was silent. Then, an explosion of joy and emotion and off she ran. As fast as she could, she started to get the lay of the land, scouting out the different sections. She found entire sections for something called Potions that looked a lot like Chemistry and Arthimancy which reminded Hermione of math. There was a section of books about cooking, sewing, and other things that looked, what was the word Hilary had used?... muggle like.

Harry entered the store a moment after Hermione and couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. He knew that she was in heaven and he wasn't about to bring her back to this world.

It took a few minutes, but eventually Hermione returned to her family, her eyes still wide from trying to take in all the sights. "I think I got it. Where's the list of books? There's a section of school books at the back on the right so we can go look them over."

The family walked back there and began to look at the books. There were so many new subjects to choose from, and, after about two hours in front of the books, Harry and Hermione had decided what classes they were going to take. Harry had decided on Care of Magical Creatures, Spell Construction, Ancient Runes, Dueling and Healing, and the surprise, Estate Management. After learning from Griphook about his wealth, he thought it might be a good idea to learn to manage that wealth, and hopefully this class could help him do so effectively. Hermione decided on Care of Magical Creatures, Spell Construction, Ancient Runes, Dueling and Healing, and Arthimancy, as she was very good at math. They also decided that they would take the Muggle classes that the school offered, so that they would keep up with what they had been learning so far, along with the required classes of the school. They also browsed the isles a bit, picking out a few books each that caught their attention. Harry picked up a book about Quidditch, among others, and was interested to see what the sport offered. Hermione had picked up a book on Wizarding Traditions from all around the world, thinking it would be interesting to see how different wizards acted from Muggles in any given place, among others. They ended up with all their school books, plus about 20 extra books that just looked interesting. Their parents started to get a little worried when they saw the amount of books, but Harry assured them that he would pay for it with his new found fortune. They went to the cashier station and bought all the books, but took the clerk up on his offer of being able to leave them there until they finished their shopping, as they were quiet heavy.

The next shop was the robe shop, where they got their first look at the uniforms for Supirittsu. They were both fitted in separate rooms and then sent to the main foyer so that they could admire each other's outfits. Hermione was wearing a silvery-white sweater. The neck was a V-neck and the sleeves were larger at the bottom than the top. Her skirt was navy blue and pleated, falling just below her knees. She also had on knee-high white socks and brown dress shoes.

The next shop was the robe shop, where they got their first look at the uniforms for Supirittsu. They were both fitted in separate rooms and then sent to the main foyer so that they could admire each other's outfits. Hermione was wearing a silvery-white sweater. The neck was a V-neck and the sleeves were larger at the bottom than the top. Her skirt was navy blue and pleated, falling just below her knees. She also had on knee-high white socks and brown dress shoes. Around her shoulders rested a navy blue cape held across her front with a small silver clasp. It delicately brushed across the floor; just the right length for it to cover her legs, but not so long that it would be stepped on. To the right of the clasp on her chest was the school's emblem, a beautiful picture of the four elements coming together.

Harry was dressed in navy blue dress slacks and a white collared shirt, covered by a navy blazer and completed with a necktie and brown shoes. He too wore a cape, much the same as Hermione's, but built more for his male form.

They admired each other's outfits and the whole vision was starting to become real to them. They really were going to go to Supirittsu, and very soon. They stood patiently until the ladies at the shop were done fitting them and then placed their orders for the year, to be picked up later that night or early the next day. The next shop was the Apothecary where the siblings picked up some basic supplies for Potions class; a set of scales each, a cauldron, and other essentials before exiting the store. Harry's money bag was quite handy, as they had spent quite a bit of cash today on lots of new things for the upcoming school year and it would have been a pain to carry it around that much.

The next stop on their shopping journey was a small luggage shop where they both needed to purchase a trunk that could hold all of their belongings for the year. The outside of the shop was slightly dark, but not menacing. Harry led the way, giving the front door of the shop a slight push. It creaked a bit, but the sound of a small bell drowned it out quite nicely. The interior of the shop was crowded to the brim with luggage, from backpacks all the way up to large trunks and everything in between. Some thing stuck Harry as familiar, but he couldn't really place it.

"Hello, may I help you?" a voice called from a back room, a few seconds before a head appeared in the doorway, followed by the body of a tall gangly man, who looked to be in his early thirties.

"Yes," Ellen spoke up, "We are looking for a pair of school trunks. What do you have available?"

"Off to school for the first time are we? Well, let me see what we have…" he trailed off, walking toward the right hand side of the shop. "This is a very basic model, with no extra features. What you might call a basic muggle model." He moved down the row a bit, directing his attention to another model. "This one may look the same as the other, but it comes with many more features. All the space inside the trunk is magically expanded to be 3 times it's normal volume. It also comes with the option of adding an additional compartment that would act as a closet were you could hang up your clothing so that it doesn't get wrinkled. Instead of a key to lock the trunk, there is a fingerprint recognition device that you can key people into so that they can also access you trunk. Does either of those sound good?"

After some discussion, they decided on two of the higher end models. They would be using them for years to come, so it made sense to get the better trunks. It wasn't as if Harry didn't have the money.

The family made a few last stops before picking up all their purchases and calling it a night. All the shopping had gotten both siblings excited for the school year to come.

-Friday-

Friday passed in a blur of excitement for all the students of the school. They had their last class and had a party that everyone enjoyed. Many people made promises to write to each other or see each other in the coming school year. Harry and Hermione were the only ones going to Supirittsu, but they still promised to write some of their new friends. Before anyone knew it, the day was over and they were on a train back home. Now they would just be bidding their times until the school year started.


End file.
